1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to the clean-up of oil and chemical spills on offshore oil platforms and the like, and more particularly relates to an improved apparatus for speedy and comprehensive clean-up of oil, chemical and like spills on the decks of offshore oil drilling platforms. Even more particularly the present invention relates to an improved spill control apparatus that includes a frame having external supports for carrying multiple drums that can be used in spill clean-up operations and wherein the drums are loaded with an absorbent clean-up material during transit while functioning as receptacles for waste material at the clean up site.
2. General Background
In the offshore oil and gas clean-up industry there are a large number of platforms and like structures that are placed in an offshore environment. These platforms include drilling platforms that are used to drill for oil, and production platforms that are used to control the flow of oil and/or gas from undersea, underground oil and gas well.
One of the problems with oil drilling in an marine environment is the enormous environmental problem of the clean-up in the event of a spill.
One of the most important concepts of cleaning-up a spill in an offshore oil environment is to reduce or contain the spill as quickly as possible. A basic plan of action on the oil rig is to complete a speedy clean-up before any oil reaches the surrounding marine environment. The environmental consequences are much greater once oil reaches the ocean water under the rig. Such a spill of oil kills marine animals and pollutes the area that marine animals occupy for a long period of time if the spill is substantial.
One important problem with spill control on a deck of an oil rig is to supply an adequate amount of equipment in one place that is especially allocated for spill clean-up. Further, the equipment must be quickly movable from one location to another.
Offshore oil and gas well drilling rigs may drill wells over existing platforms. If a spill originates from the platform, action must be taken quickly. The platform emergency shut down loop must be pulled which will shut off most sources of spills on the platform immediately. The platform operator should then be notified of the spill and then decide if preventative action must be taken.
Another common source of spills on offshore oil and gas well drilling rigs is the diesel take-on hoses. An oil field worker stationed to watch the hose transfers will immediately notify both the rig pump room and the boat to shut their pumps off at the pertinent time. All valves on each side of the hose, the rig and the boat will then be closed.
Drilling mud pits filled with an oil based mud sometimes have leaking dump valves. Because of the foredescribed combination of fluids that are handled on an offshore oil and gas well drilling rig, there is a need of a simple, yet workable solution to the problem of spills generated on the deck of a rig in order to contain and clean those spills before they reach the underlying sea water.